Rising Moon
by Naomi Shihoin
Summary: This condensed version of Midnight/Moonrise is different. Sorreltail and Leafpaw are ThunderClan's Chosen this time; when they are called, they go, but they never imagined who would follow them. CrowxLeaf. I own only my original characters. AU to the books. (Book 1 of the Outcast trilogy)
1. 1 Prologue and Allegiances

**A/N: This is the prologue of Rising Moon; the prologue of which came from the "Firestar's Quest" epilogue. The contents of said super edition was used for parts of Winds of Change and would have been called "SkyClan's Return" if it was up to me. I have decided to post this before the 20****th****, which is what I told QueenPersephoneofHades I was going to do, as I want to give her an early birthday present. Happy birthday, Persephone**.

_**Prologue: New Life**_

Frost glittered on leafless branches as Dustpelt bounded down the ravine. He felt full of energy, fully recovered from the shock of watching Skywatcher succumb to very advanced age. Brambleclaw and Mousefur followed him: the dawn patrol was returning to the ThunderClan camp, cold and hungry, but with fur unruffled. The borders were peaceful and leaf-bare would soon give way to the fresh growth of newleaf.

Dustpelt pushed his way through the gorse tunnel and turned around to wait for his Clanmates. "You better get something to eat and then rest," he meowed. "Oakstar wants both of you to come to the Gathering tonight."

"Great!" Brambleclaw's fur bristled with excitement, while Mousefur simply flicked her ears and headed for the fresh-kill pile.

Dustpelt headed across the clearing towards the nursery, spotting Sorrelpaw, Sootpaw and Rainpaw wrestling together beside the apprentices' den among the ferns. While he watched, Lizardclaw emerged from the warriors' den and called to Sootpaw; mentor and apprentice disappeared through the gorse tunnel.

As he approached the nursery, Cinderpelt emerged; Dustpelt bounded up to her. "Is everything alright?" he demanded.

Cinderpelt's blue eyes glimmered with understanding. "Dustpelt, for StarClan's sake, it's her second litter. Sandstorm knows what she's doing. I gave her some borage to help her milk come," she purred, looking amused.

Dustpelt let out a long sigh of relief. "I still can't believe how beautiful they are," he confessed.

Cinderpelt gave his ear a gentle flick with her tail. "In you go, then, and have another look."

Dustpelt pushed his way through the brambles and into the nursery, the warm, milky scents flowing over him. Sandstorm lay in a deep nest of moss and bracken; huddled close to her were three tiny kits, two she-kits and a tom, their eyes still closed. The first was a light brown tabby with a white chest and paws; the second was a dark ginger like Sandstorm's father and the third was a pale grey tom with white patches.

Whitekit, Brightheart's kit to a tom known only to herself and her littermates and a moon older than Sandstorm's kits, was looking down at them with as much pride as if they were her own. Dustpelt knew how protective she felt about the new arrivals. Brightheart rose from her nest and stretched out a paw. "Be careful," she warned her kit. "Don't get too close. They won't be ready to play for a while yet."

As Dustpelt entered, Sandstorm drowsily raised her head. "I thought of some names," she murmured. "How do you like Squirrelkit, Leafkit and Skykit?"

"I think they're wonderful names," Dustpelt replied. The dark ginger Squirrelkit for her fluffy tail, of course, tabby Leafkit as a tribute to Leafstar and Skykit in memory of the elderly Skywatcher.

Pride surged through him as he looked at the tiny scraps of fur. He had so many hopes for them: good hunting, happiness, perhaps even leadership of their Clan. His daughters and sons, both warriors and kits, were Clanborn through and through. His blood would run through ThunderClan for many seasons to come, even when he no longer walked the forest.

The thought of blood and kinship made Skywatcher's prophecy echo in his ears once more: _There will be three who hold the power of the stars in their paws_.

Would these powerful cats be descended from Dustpelt's newest litter? Was the prophecy a warning of great good or great evil? A chill ran through him and he shivered as he wondered where the path of his blood would lead.

...

**A/N: As you can tell, this update is the prologue and allegiances, so things don't get bewildering.**

**WARNING: The list is subject to change due to cats maturing or plot bunnies striking me. I will update the list after every major chapter like when a kit becomes an apprentice, an apprentice becomes a warrior, a she-cat becomes a queen and moves to the nursery or simply when a cat dies or moves to the elders' den**.

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader**: Oakstar — grey-brown tom

**Deputy**: Ravencloud — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail (Apprentice: Skypaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Cinderpelt — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Leafpaw)

**Warriors**:

Mousefur — small dusky brown she-cat (Apprentice: Spiderpaw)

Dustpelt — dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm — pale ginger she-cat

Applefur — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Sorrelpaw)

Lizardclaw — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Whitepaw)

Brightheart — white she-cat with ginger patches (Apprentice: Shrewpaw)

Brambleclaw — dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Squirrelpaw)

Maplewhisker — ginger she-cat

Snakepelt — light brown tabby tom

Pinefoot — blue-grey tom

Russetfang — reddish-brown she-cat

Stonefur — blue-grey tom with battle-scarred ears

Cranefoot — blue-grey she-cat

Waspfur — ginger tabby tom with black markings

Ashfur — pale grey tom with darker flecks

Sootfur — light grey tom

Rainwhisker — dark grey tom

**Apprentices**:

Sorrelpaw — tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Skypaw — pale grey tom with white patches

Leafpaw — light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws, medicine cat apprentice to Cinderpelt

Squirrelpaw — dark ginger she-cat

Spiderpaw — long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly

Whitepaw — white she-cat

Shrewpaw — small dark brown tom

**Queens**:

Ferncloud — pale grey queen with darker flecks, expecting Pinefoot's kits

**Elders**:

Longtail — pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Frostfur — beautiful white she-cat

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat, former medicine cat

Dappletail — once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

Speckletail — pale tabby she-cat

_**WindClan**_

**Leader**: Firestar — ginger tom with a flame coloured pelt

**Deputy**: Sloepelt — black she-cat (Apprentice: Crowpaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Sedgeface — short-tailed brown tom (Apprentice: Heatherleaf)

**Warriors**:

Tornear — tabby tom (Apprentice: Nightpaw)

Duskfoot — dark grey tabby tom (Apprentice: Thistlepaw)

Ashfoot — grey tabby she-cat (Apprentice: Stoatpaw)

Mothtail — tortoiseshell and white she-cat with a fair amount of brown and ginger

Antfang — small black tom

Tawnytail — ginger she-cat with a golden brown tail

Adderwhisker — brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Eaglepaw)

Larchfur — golden brown she-cat

Cypressclaw — dark ginger tabby tom

Graycloud — grey she-cat

Hareclaw — long-limbed brown tom with black-flecked fur

Darkheart — black tom

Sootflower — grey-black she-cat

Eveningfur — black and ginger tom

Sleetpelt — white tom

Sheeptail — black tom

Willowface — grey she-cat

Whitetail — small white she-cat

Leopardheart — golden dappled she-cat

Robinwing — light brown she-cat

**Apprentices**:

Stoatpaw — reddish-brown tom with a white underbelly

Thistlepaw — spotted grey and white tom

Nightpaw — black she-cat

Crowpaw — dark smoky grey, almost black tom

Eaglepaw — dark smoky grey, almost black tom

Heatherleaf — light brown she-cat, medicine cat apprentice to Sedgeface

**Queens**:

**Elders**:

Morningflower — dilute tortoiseshell she-cat

Deadfoot — black tom with a twisted paw

Fawnflower — light brown she-cat with quite faint tabby markings

Rushtail — light brown tom

_**SkyClan**_

**Leader**: Leafstar — brown and cream tabby she-cat

**Deputy**: Sharpclaw — ginger tom

**Medicine Cat**: Frecklewish — mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs (Apprentice: Nightpaw)

**Warriors**:

Cherrytail — small tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Rockshade — black tom with a torn ear

Tinycloud — white she-cat with deep blue eyes

Bouncefire — ginger tom

Clovertail — light brown she-cat with white chest and legs

Rabbitleap — grey tom

Creekfeather — white tom

Nettlesplash — pale brown tom

Dappledblossom — tortoiseshell she-cat

Blackstone — white tom with black paws

Batwing — black tom

Flamefur — ginger tom

Willowleaf — pale grey she-cat with white muzzle, chest and legs

Plumwillow — pale brown she-cat

**Apprentices**:

Nightpaw — black tortoiseshell she-cat, medicine cat apprentice to Frecklewish

**Queens**:

**Elders**:

Echosong — silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Ebonyclaw — striking black she-cat

Shrewtooth — skinny black tom

Waspwhisker — grey and white tom with a scar that wraps around his belly down to his tail

Fallowfern — pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

_**RiverClan**_

**Leader**: Miststar — blue-grey she-cat

**Deputy**: Silverstream — pretty slender silver tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat**: Mudfur — long-furred light brown tom (Apprentice: Cloudflower)

**Warriors**:

Blackclaw — smoky black tom

Swallowtail — dark brown tabby she-cat

Hawkfrost — dark brown tom

Mothwing — golden tabby she-cat

Copperfur — pretty silver tabby she-cat

Stormfur — dark grey tom

Feathertail — light grey she-cat

Spottedfern — tortoiseshell she-cat

Creekstorm — smoky black tom

Heavystep — thickset tabby tom

**Apprentices**:

Cloudflower — long-furred grey she-cat, medicine cat apprentice to Mudfur

**Queens**:

Dawnflower — pale grey queen, mother of ?'s kits [Stonekit — grey tom, Volekit — small brown tabby tom and Splashkit]

Mosspelt — tortoiseshell queen, mother of Creekstorm's kits [Willowkit — grey tabby she-kit, Dapplekit — mottled grey she-kit and Sparrowkit — brown tabby tom]

**Elders**:

Shadepelt — very dark grey she-cat

Loudbelly — dark brown tom

_**ShadowClan**_

**Leader**: Blackstar — large white tom with huge jet black paws

**Deputy**: Dawncloud — small tabby she-cat (Apprentice: Ivypaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Littlecloud — very small tabby tom

**Warriors**:

Fogflower — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Owlpaw)

Ivyfang — dark grey she-cat

Russetfur — dark ginger she-cat (Apprentice: Toadpaw)

Darkclaw — black and white she-cat

Ashface — grey tabby tom

Nightwing — black she-cat (Apprentice: Applepaw)

Oakfur — small brown tom

Rowanclaw — ginger tom (Apprentice: Talonpaw)

Cedarheart — dark grey tom

Tawnypelt — tortoiseshell she-cat (Apprentice: Smokepaw)

**Apprentices**:

Smokepaw — black tom

Talonpaw

Ivypaw — black, white and tortoiseshell she-cat

Applepaw — mottled brown she-cat

Toadpaw — dark brown tom

Owlpaw — light brown tom

**Queens**:

**Elders**:

Pigeonpelt — small grey and white tom, former medicine cat

Poppyflower — long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

_**Cats Outside Clans**_

Barley — black and white tom who lives on the farm near WindClan

Purdy — old tabby tom who lives in the woods near the sun-drown-place

_**First Leaders and Medicine Cats**_

Wind — first leader of WindClan; wiry brown she-cat

Mothflight — first medicine cat of any Clan, former rogue; pure white she-cat

Gorsestar — first deputy and second leader of WindClan; thin grey tabby tom

Lynxleap — large light brown she-cat and Gorsestar's mate

…

River — first leader of RiverClan and Wind's mate; silvery-grey tom with long fur

Dapplepelt — first medicine cat of RiverClan; delicate tortoiseshell she-cat

Emberstar — first deputy and second leader of RiverClan; muscular grey and white tom

Mossydawn — former loner and Emberstar's mate; brown and white she-cat

…

Sky — first leader of SkyClan; blue-grey she-cat with strong legs

Falconsong — first medicine cat of SkyClan; mottled brown and white she-cat

Cougartooth — exiled ThunderClan warrior and Sky's mate; large, muscular golden brown tom

Pebblepool — first deputy of SkyClan; mottled grey tom

Pantherscar — second deputy of SkyClan; jet-black tom with half his face mutilated

Mantisstrike — former rogue and Pantherscar's mate; brown tabby she-cat

Birchstar — second leader of SkyClan; light grey tom

Rainsplash — third deputy of SkyClan; dappled grey and brown tom

…

Thunder — first leader of ThunderClan; large ginger tom with a broad head, shoulders and white paws

Cloudspots — first medicine cat of ThunderClan; long-furred black tom with white ears, chest, forepaws and blue eyes

Lightningtail — first deputy of ThunderClan; very pale golden tom

Owlstar — second deputy/leader of ThunderClan; dark grey tom with large, unblinking amber eyes

Weaselbreeze — half-Clan warrior and Owlstar's mate; brown she-cat with a white underbelly and grey paws

…

Shadow — first leader of ShadowClan and Thunder's mate; thick-furred black she-cat

Pebbleheart — first medicine cat of ShadowClan; dark grey tabby tom

Snakestrike — first deputy of ShadowClan; dark brown tom with unusual reflexes

Hollystar — second leader of ShadowClan; dark ginger she-cat

Brindlestar — second deputy/third leader of ShadowClan; grey tabby she-cat

_**Dark Forest**_

Mapleshade — large tortoiseshell and white she-cat with matted fur and fluffy white tail

Silverhawk — ragged, pale grey tabby tom

Shredtail — ragged, scrawny dark brown tabby tom with criss-cross scars running across his pelt and an injured tail

Snowclaw — small, skinny white tom with a long scar snaking from his belly to the tip of his left ear

Tigershadow — big, dark brown tabby tom with unusually long claws

Darkstripe — sleek black and grey tabby tom

Jaggedtooth — huge tabby tom, former rogue

Cedarface — brown tom

Maggottail — off-white pelted tom with baleful eyes

Sparrowfeather — small, mottled brown tabby she-cat with a battered muzzle


	2. 1 Chapter 1: The Prophecy

_**Chapter 1: The Prophecy**_

_StarClan's POV_

Night lay upon the forest. There was no moon, but the stars of Silverpelt shed their frosty glitter over the trees. At the bottom of a rocky hollow, a pool reflected the starshine. The air was heavy with the scents of late newleaf.

Wind sighed softly through the trees and ruffled the quiet surface of the pool. At the top of the hollow, the fronds of bracken parted to reveal a cat; her bluish-grey fur glimmered as she stepped delicately from rock to rock, down to the water's edge.

Sitting on a flat stone that jutted out over the pool, she raised her head to look around. As if at a signal, more cats began to appear, slipping into the hollow from every direction. They padded down to sit as close to the water as they could, until the lower slopes were filled with lithe shapes gazing down into the pool.

The cat who had appeared first rose to her paws. "A new prophecy has come!" she meowed. "A doom that will change everything has been foretold in the stars."

On the opposite side of the pool, another cat bowed his dark grey head. "I have seen this, too. There will be doubt and a great challenge," he agreed.

"Thunder, Wind, Sky, River and Shadow will come together and shake the forest to its roots," the first cat went on. "Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before."

"A great storm is coming," meowed another voice and the word _storm_ was taken up, repeated and passed around the circle until it seemed that thunder rumbled through the ranks of watching cats.

As the murmur died away, a lean cat with a glossy black pelt spoke from near the water's edge. "Can nothing change what is about to happen? Not even the courage and spirit of the greatest warrior?"

"Yes, Bluestar. Who gave this prophecy?" Yet another voice mewed.

"The doom will come," the blue-grey she-cat replied. "But if the Clans meet it like warriors, they may survive. Mothflight did," she finalized, cutting off the cat who was about to ask again. Lifting her head, she let her luminous gaze travel around the hollow. "You have all seen what must befall," she meowed. "And you know what must be done. Two cats, a warrior and an apprentice, must be chosen from each Clan to hold the fate of their Clans in their paws. In the circumstance where there are no apprentices, the two youngest warriors are to be chosen. Are you ready to make your choices before all of StarClan?"

As she finished speaking, the surface of the pool shivered, though there was no wind to disturb it and then it was still again.

The dark grey tom rose to his paws, starlight turning the fur on his broad shoulders to silver. "I will begin," he mewed. "I invite you all to see and approve my choices." He stared down into the water, as motionless as the rocks around him. Light and dark grey blurs appeared on the surface of the pool and all of the cats craned forward to see them more clearly.

"Those two?" murmured the blue-grey cat, staring at the shapes in the water. "Are you sure, Stormstar?"

The tip of the dark grey tom's tail flicked back and forth. "I thought those choices would please you, Bluestar," he meowed, amusement in his tone. "Do you not think they were excellently mentored?"

"They were well mentored, but they are both warriors," Bluestar's neck fur rose as if he had said something to challenge her, before it lay flat again.

"They're as close to apprentices as what RiverClan has," he countered. "They weren't made warriors until after the BloodClan battle; besides, you said if there were no apprentices..."

"Does the rest of StarClan agree?" Bluestar asked.

A murmur of assent rose from the watching cats and the grey shapes thinned and vanished from the water, leaving it clear and empty again.

Now the black tom stood up and padded to the very edge of the pool. "Here are my choices," he announced. "See and approve them."

This time, the shapes in the pool were lean tortoiseshells, with strong shoulders. Bluestar gazed down at the images for some moments, before nodding. "They have strength and courage," she agreed.

"But does she have loyalty, Nightstar?" called another cat, referring to the first tortoiseshell.

The black tom's head whipped around and his claws dug into the ground in front of him. "Are you calling her disloyal?"

"If I do, there's reason for it," the answer was spat back. "She wasn't born in ShadowClan."

"That will make her a good choice," Bluestar meowed calmly. "If the Clans can not work together now, they will all be destroyed. Maybe it will take cats with a paw in two Clans to understand what has to be done." She paused for a moment, but no other objections were forthcoming. "Does StarClan approve?"

There was some hesitation, but it wasn't long before soft mews of agreement came from all of the assembled cats. The surface of the pool rippled briefly and when it stilled the tortoiseshells were gone.

A brown tom with black flecked fur and long legs got up and approached the water's edge. "My turn, I believe," he rasped. "See and approve my choices."

The tortoiseshell and white and dark smoky grey shapes that formed in the pool were hard to see against the reflection of the night sky and the cats peered at them for some time before anyone spoke.

"_What?_ He's only three moons into his apprenticeship!" the dark grey tom exclaimed.

"Same as all of the other apprentices, Stormstar," the brown-furred, black-flecked cat meowed dryly. "I had noticed, thank you."

"Jaguarfoot, you can't send your grandkit into danger such as this," another cat called from the back of the crowd.

"My grandkit and apprentice he may be," Jaguarfoot retorted, "but he has the courage and skill to match any warrior. One day he will become a fine leader of WindClan."

Cats started shooting conspiratorial glances at Jaguarfoot after he declared that, but they were quickly interrupted by the blue-grey she-cat. "One day is not now," Bluestar pointed out. "And the qualities of a leader are not necessarily those that the Clans need to save them now. Do you wish to make another choice?"

Jaguarfoot spat angrily and his tail lashed from side to side, neck fur bristling as he glared at Bluestar. "_These_ are my choices," he insisted. "Do any of you dare to say he is not worthy?"

"What do you say?" Bluestar's gaze went around the circle. "Does StarClan approve? Remember that every Clan will be lost if one of our chosen cats should weaken or fail."

Cats muttered at each other in small groups, casting uneasy glances at the shapes in the pool and at the cat beside it. Jaguarfoot stared back with fury in his eyes, his fur fluffed up so that he looked twice his size. He was obviously ready to take on any cat who challenged him.

At length, the muttering died away and Bluestar asked again: "Does StarClan approve?" The assent came, but it was low and reluctant and a few cats did not speak at all. Jaguarfoot let out an ill-tempered growl as he turned and padded back to his place.

A ginger tom rose to his paws this time and stepped forward. "See and approve my choices," he mewed. Black and black tortoiseshell shapes formed in the pool and cats stared in disbelief.

Not wanting another discussion to get out of hand, Bluestar took the initiative. "Does StarClan approve?"

A rumble of assent came from the starlit warriors, but Buzzardtail acknowledged it was half-hearted.

When the water was clear again, Stormstar meowed: "Bluestar, you have not yet made your choices for ThunderClan."

"I know, but I am ready now," she replied. "See and approve my choices." She gazed down proudly as tortoiseshell and white and light brown tabby shapes formed in the depths of the pool.

Stormstar stared at them and stretched his jaws wide in a soundless mew of laughter. "Those two! Bluestar, you never cease to surprise me."

"Why?" Bluestar's tone showed she was irritated. "They are noble young cats, fit for the challenges this prophecy will present.

Stormstar's ears twitched. "Did I say they were not?"

Bluestar held his gaze, not looking at the other cats as she demanded: "Does StarClan approve?" When the agreement came, strong and certain, she gave Stormstar a contemptuous flick of her tail and looked away.

"Cats of StarClan," she meowed, raising her voice. "Your choices have been made. Soon, the journey must begin, to meet the terrible storm that will be released on the forest. Go to your Clans and make sure your choices are ready."

She paused and her eyes blazed with fierce silver light. "We can choose cats to save each Clan but, beyond that, we can not help them. May the spirits of all of our warrior ancestors go with these cats, wherever the stars may lead them."

…

_Sorrelpaw's POV_

Leaves rustled as the young tortoiseshell cat slid through a gap between two bushes, her jaws wide open to drink in the scent of prey. On this warm night in late newleaf, the forest was full of the scuffles of tiny creatures. Movements twitched endlessly at the edge of her vision but, when she turned her head, she could see nothing but thick clumps of fern and bramble, dappled with moonlight.

Suddenly, she stepped out into a wide clearing and gazed around in confusion. She could not remember being in this part of the forest before. Smooth-cropped grass, glowing silver in a cold wash of moonlight, stretched in front of her as far as a softly rounded rock where a cat was sitting. Starlight sparkled in her fur and her eyes were two small moons. The young tortoiseshell's bewilderment increased as she recognized her. "Willow-Mother?" she meowed, her voice shrill with disbelief.

"That's right, Sorrelpaw," the she-cat spoke. Her mother, a very pale grey she-cat with unusual blue eyes, sat by herself and purred in amusement. "You have excellent instincts and are well overdue to become a warrior. Whitecloud would be proud."

"Sorrelpaw," Willowpelt meowed, breaking the soon-to-be warrior out of her shock. Sorrelpaw straightened her position, staring the StarClan cat in the eyes, hope glimmering in her own. Her blue eyes glazed with sadness and Sorrelpaw felt a cold chill run down her spine. "Great danger is coming," Willowpelt began in an ominous tone. "All five Clans are in serious peril. _Thunder, Wind, Sky, River and Shadow will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before_."

Almost as if in response to Willowpelt's words, the forest noises fell silent and Sorrelpaw felt like she was being watched by many pairs of intruding eyes. "W-what do you mean?" she asked shakily. "What danger?"

"You have been chosen," Willowpelt spoke as if she hadn't heard her questions, "along with nine other cats, to meet at the new moon. You must go and hear what midnight has to tell you."

"W-what cats? How can midnight tell us anything?" Sorrelpaw was still shaken.

"Everything will be made clear to you soon, little one," Willowpelt murmured, her blue eyes shining with motherly love and sadness as she gazed at her daughter.

The starry warrior began to fade along with the moonlight, allowing dark shadows to stretch along the forest floor.

"Wait!" Sorrelpaw screeched, thrashing about. "Mother! Come back! What do you mean?"

Blue eyes flashed in the shadows momentarily and Willowpelt's scent filled her nostrils. "Trust in yourself, Sorrelpaw. Your partner will be safe with my guidance, I promise you," her voice meowed, filled with love and care, before her presence faded.

…

A voice came out of nowhere. "Sorrelpaw? Sorrelpaw!"

Sorrelpaw's eyes flew open and she saw Leafpaw standing over her, prodding her with her paw. The tortoiseshell and white she-cat took a moment to breathe, before reassuring the younger apprentice. "It's alright, Leafpaw; I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Leafpaw protested, with concern in her eyes.

"Yes," Sorrelpaw answered quietly, appearing out of it.

Leafpaw saw this and wondered whether she should talk to Sorrelpaw about her own visit from StarClan, but decided to tell her later.

When Leafpaw raced out of the apprentices' den at a call from Sandstorm, Sorrelpaw sighed, shaking her head slightly. The prophecy was still vivid in her mind, and it bothered her the most. _Thunder, Wind, Sky, River and Shadow will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before. But what does it mean?_ Sorrelpaw thought, flicking her ears. _Why would they give me a prophecy and not Oakstar or Cinderpelt? If they gave it to me, they must have had a good reason; otherwise, they would have given it to Oakstar or Cinderpelt. I should tell them…_

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Oakstar's yowl rang out, making the cats who hadn't heard of Sorrelpaw's warrior ceremony come out of their dens. Sorrelpaw spotted the three littermates sitting next to their mother, Sandstorm, their heads held high. They were all looking proud. Sorrelpaw purred in amusement as Squirrelpaw nudged Skypaw, but the apprentices hastily stopped at a warning hiss from their mother. "I have a ceremony to perform," Oakstar meowed. "Sorrelpaw, come forward, please."

Trembling inside from nerves and excitement, the tortoiseshell and white she-cat padded up to the Highledge. "I, Oakstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Sorrelpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do," Sorrelpaw meowed with strong conviction.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sorrelpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Sorreltail. StarClan honours your courage and patience and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Stepping forward, Oakstar rested his muzzle on top of Sorreltail's head. In return, she gave his shoulder a respectful lick, before backing away.

The rest of the warriors gathered around her, welcoming her and calling her by her new name. "Sorreltail! Sorreltail!" Her brothers, Rainwhisker and Sootfur, were among the first, their eyes gleaming with pride that their sister had finally joined them as a warrior.

Oakstar waited until the noise had died down. "Sorreltail, according to tradition, you must keep vigil in silence tonight and watch over the camp."

The cats parted to let Sorreltail take up her position in the middle of the clearing. She sat with her tail curled around her paws and her gaze fixed on the darkening sky, where the light of Silverpelt grew steadily stronger.

…

**A/N: The message the Chosen cats get is the same. I'm not going to waste time, delay the fic and turn away potential reviewers by doing ceremonies for each Chosen, so I'm sorry if some people wanted it done that way. However, there is a Gathering coming up, so you'll be able to see the Chosen from each Clan then. The source I used was the prologue and part of chapter 1 of Midnight**.

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader**: Oakstar — grey-brown tom

**Deputy**: Ravencloud — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail (Apprentice: Skypaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Cinderpelt — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Leafpaw)

**Warriors**:

Mousefur — small dusky brown she-cat (Apprentice: Spiderpaw)

Dustpelt — dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm — pale ginger she-cat

Applefur — golden brown tabby tom

Lizardclaw — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Whitepaw)

Brightheart — white she-cat with ginger patches (Apprentice: Shrewpaw)

Brambleclaw — dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Squirrelpaw)

Maplewhisker — ginger she-cat

Snakepelt — light brown tabby tom

Pinefoot — blue-grey tom

Russetfang — reddish-brown she-cat

Stonefur — blue-grey tom with battle-scarred ears

Cranefoot — blue-grey she-cat

Waspfur — ginger tabby tom with black markings

Ashfur — pale grey tom with darker flecks

Sootfur — light grey tom

Sorreltail — tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Rainwhisker — dark grey tom

**Apprentices**:

Skypaw — pale grey tom with white patches

Leafpaw — light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws, medicine cat apprentice to Cinderpelt

Squirrelpaw — dark ginger she-cat

Spiderpaw — long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly

Whitepaw — white she-cat

Shrewpaw — small dark brown tom

**Queens**:

Ferncloud — pale grey queen with darker flecks, expecting Pinefoot's kits

**Elders**:

Longtail — pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Frostfur — beautiful white she-cat

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat, former medicine cat

Dappletail — once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

Speckletail — pale tabby she-cat


	3. 1 Chapter 2: Leafpaw's Decision

_**Chapter 2: Leafpaw's Decision**_

A yowl of excitement startled Leafpaw from her work at sunhigh. She and Cinderpelt looked up almost at the same time to see Sorreltail hurl herself at Brambleclaw, the unexpected attack bowling him over and they wrestled together on the dusty ground, just as they had when they were kits in the nursery. The light brown tabby heard her mentor return her attention to the borage leaves she was gathering for Ferncloud, who had three kits. Pinefoot, her mate and firstborn of Ravencloud and Miststar, was always in the nursery giving the pale grey queen a lot of affection.

"... a warrior now, so you'll have to stop behaving like a kit." Brambleclaw must have scrambled to his paws.

"A kit?" Sorreltail indignantly meowed, but that was all Leafpaw had time to hear, as Cinderpelt called her name.

"Leafpaw?"

Amber eyes turned to focus on blue ones. "Yes, Cinderpelt?" questioned Leafpaw, who dipped her head in acknowledgement of her mentor's query. Herbs smelled stronger in the medicine cats' den and Leafpaw had to stifle a sneeze.

"We need more catmint and comfrey, so can you please remind me that we must go looking for some before the frosts come?"

Leafpaw didn't answer straight away, as she glanced down at the herbs she was sorting on her own. "We'll need more cobwebs and burdock root, too," she added.

"You're right," Cinderpelt praised.

"Excuse me, Cinderpelt?" mewed a voice, causing both apprentice and mentor to look up as Skypaw entered the fern tunnel. "Spottedleaf has a case of bellyache; she said she would like some chervil," he meowed uncertainly.

The grey she-cat exhaled heavily, limping awkwardly back to the den to retrieve some chervil, before tottering out to follow Skypaw. "I'm coming, Skypaw. Leafpaw, I left a couple of borage leaves beside the entrance; could you please take those to Ferncloud?" she called over her shoulder.

Leafpaw nodded her head and picked up the borage leaves as Cinderpelt disappeared with her brother. With the borage leaves in her mouth as instructed, the light brown tabby padded back into the sunlight and went through the fern tunnel to the main clearing.

Long ago, Leafpaw and Skypaw had had an argument over the position. Leafpaw had known she wanted to be a medicine cat from the time she was a small kit. She had watched Cinderpelt taking care of sick cats and checking on her mother in the nursery. Leafpaw wanted to be that gentle, kind and intelligent. She wanted to know how to heal and how to read the signs from StarClan.

Leafpaw couldn't imagine anything more important; she knew that medicine cats could never have kits, but she didn't think about what that would mean for her. Cinderpelt had let her into her den before she was even an apprentice. Squirrelpaw had been disappointed that they never got to train together as apprentices, but she understood how important it was to Leafpaw.

Cinderpelt had taken her to the Moonstone for the initiation ceremony when she became an apprentice. It was a secret ritual involving the medicine cats of the other Clans and StarClan, too; Leafpaw had never felt closer to StarClan than she did then.

Leafpaw spotted Sorreltail and Brambleclaw leaving the camp with their tails entwined. Rolling her eyes at their "love", she headed for the nursery and entered, wincing as the thorny branches pricked her ears.

While her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness of the nursery, Leafpaw thought about the prophecy and how she and Sorreltail had been chosen. _What exactly _have_ we been chosen for?_ She thought. _Brindleface didn't make it clear enough. I wish I knew what we had to do_. Turning, Leafpaw concentrated on the nest on the edge of the bramble thicket, where a nest of moss protected a pale grey queen and three kits. A blue-grey shape was crouched beside the nest; Leafpaw didn't need her sight to know it was Pinefoot, Ferncloud's mate.

Ferncloud languidly raised her head as Leafpaw came in, her green eyes watching her closely. "Hi Leafpaw," she meowed, smiling at her as she silently padded forward, placing the herbs beside the nest. Leafpaw touched noses with her, her amber orbs glowing with friendliness.

"Hello Ferncloud," she purred, nodding respectfully to Pinefoot, who returned the gesture.

"Here to see the kits again?" Pinefoot asked, his tone welcoming and amused. "I thought you would have seen enough of them yesterday when you came."

Leafpaw flicked her ears and shrugged casually. She nudged the herbs with her paw. "Cinderpelt wants to be on the safe side and gave some borage to you," the apprentice explained when Ferncloud sniffed the herbs curiously.

Realization dawned in the queen's eyes and she nodded. "Tell her I give my thanks," Ferncloud mewed, lapping up the leaves quickly, narrowing her eyes at the bitter taste but consuming them all.

Leafpaw examined the kits as Ferncloud ate the borage. There were two she-kits and a tom; the first she-kit was a dark ginger, the second golden brown and the tom was a light brown tabby. "They're beautiful. Have you chosen names for them yet?"

Ferncloud's eyes returned to the trio. "Birchkit," she began, lightly touching the light brown tabby tom with her tail, "Hollykit," she tapped the ginger she-kit, "and Larchkit," she finished off, tapping the golden brown she-kit.

Leafpaw mewed that she had to leave now, before turning and padding out of the nursery. She nearly ran into Sorreltail on her way out, the tortoiseshell and white she-cat barely stopping in time before she possibly trampled the small light brown tabby.

"I'm so sorry, Leafpaw!" the warrior exclaimed embarrassedly, ashamed of herself. Leafpaw hurriedly hissed words at her, before flicking her tail at the older she-cat dismissively. "I'm sorry; I couldn't catch that, Leafpaw...?" The tortoiseshell asked.

Leafpaw leaned in close, muttering quietly: "_Have you spoken to Oakstar about the prophecy yet?_"

Sorreltail's eyes widened in comprehension and she shook her head quickly. "_We should, shouldn't we?_"

"What are you she-cats whispering about?" A voice rasped.

Sorreltail flinched and Leafpaw let out a small gasp, but then Leafpaw smelled the scent of the newcomer. "Oakstar, how much did you hear?" Leafpaw asked.

"Something about a prophecy," the ageing tom responded. "Please tell me what's going on."

Nervously, Leafpaw told Oakstar everything, from when she received the prophecy from her grandmother Brindleface and was later told by Sorreltail her mother, Willowpelt, told the same prophecy, to their niggling feelings that something was going to happen to the forest.

"I see," Oakstar mewed, when Leafpaw finally finished. "A new prophecy, hmm? I wonder what the threat is _now_." Oakstar snorted. "The first time it was Scourge and BloodClan; we can thank Firestar for saving us~"

"Umm, _Scourge?_" Leafpaw interrupted. "What in StarClan are you talking about?"

This time, Oakstar had to explain how Scourge used to be called Tiny and was originally a kittypet, but he was fed up with being bullied by his littermates because of his size, so he made a name for himself in Twolegplace. The bloodthirsty cats there banded together underneath him and he called his band BloodClan. "I'm glad I won't be seeing that murderous mangepelt with reinforced claws ever again," Oakstar spat, gouging his claws into the soil.

"Who? Scourge, Bone or Brick?" Leafpaw asked.

"All of them," the ThunderClan leader growled. Oakstar straightened up and began padding away. "Don't worry," he called. "I'll make sure Cinderpelt has travelling herbs ready for you."

...

**A/N: This chapter properly introduces Leafpaw as the medicine cat apprentice. I agree with Persephone that Leafpool should have been a warrior and had a chance with Crowfeather, but I have a plan in place that ensures Crowfeather and Leafpool end up together. And before people ask, the Three are not their kits anymore; no, the Three have different parents in my universe. Source used was Leafpool Speaks: Not Just About Herbs**.

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader**: Oakstar — grey-brown tom

**Deputy**: Ravencloud — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail (Apprentice: Skypaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Cinderpelt — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Leafpaw)

**Warriors**:

Mousefur — small dusky brown she-cat (Apprentice: Spiderpaw)

Dustpelt — dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm — pale ginger she-cat

Applefur — golden brown tabby tom

Lizardclaw — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Whitepaw)

Brightheart — white she-cat with ginger patches (Apprentice: Shrewpaw)

Brambleclaw — dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Squirrelpaw)

Maplewhisker — ginger she-cat

Snakepelt — light brown tabby tom

Pinefoot — blue-grey tom

Russetfang — reddish-brown she-cat

Stonefur — blue-grey tom with battle-scarred ears

Cranefoot — blue-grey she-cat

Waspfur — ginger tabby tom with black markings

Ashfur — pale grey tom with darker flecks

Sootfur — light grey tom

Sorreltail — tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Rainwhisker — dark grey tom

**Apprentices**:

Skypaw — pale grey tom with white patches

Leafpaw — light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws, medicine cat apprentice to Cinderpelt

Squirrelpaw — dark ginger she-cat

Spiderpaw — long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly

Whitepaw — white she-cat

Shrewpaw — small dark brown tom

**Queens**:

Ferncloud — pale grey queen with darker flecks, mother of Pinefoot's kits [Birchkit — light brown tabby tom, Hollykit — dark ginger she-kit and Larchkit — golden brown she-kit]

**Elders**:

Longtail — pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Frostfur — beautiful white she-cat

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat, former medicine cat

Dappletail — once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

Speckletail — pale tabby she-cat


	4. 1 Chapter 3: Darkness Within

_**Chapter 3: Darkness Within**_

"Crowpaw? Crowpaw, wake up!" The dark smoky grey, almost black apprentice bolted awake and scrambled to his paws, claws unsheathed and teeth bared in anger at his sleep being disturbed. His rage was justified; standing in front of him, appearing shocked with the young tom's fury was Nightpaw, only kit of Antfang and Robinwing, her jet-black paw raised as if to poke the tom who was a half-moon older than her awake. "..." The black she-cat was speechless, her wordless mew dragging Crowpaw out of his trance as he realized he still looked ready to shred her.

Struggling to calm down, he sheathed his claws and relaxed his jaw muscles. "What do you want?" he spat, refusing to explain his behaviour to her. He didn't see why he should have to; he didn't like her anyway, not at all.

"S-Sloepelt wants you to join her, Duskfoot and Thistlepaw on the dawn patrol," she stammered, before hardening her cold blue eyes at him. As he turned to pad off, she continued: "Stoatpaw told me you were muttering in your sleep."

Crowpaw froze, his own orbs narrowing. _They can't know...?_ His pulse quickened and he flicked his eyes all around, trying to think of something to tell her.

The single light thud of a pawstep being taken was heard by his sharp ears. "Something about being chosen," she spat angrily. Before he could face her, she leaped onto Crowpaw, her thorn-sharp claws digging into his pelt and landing a blow on his ear before she jumped off. Crowpaw rolled to one side, raking his hind paws down Nightpaw's flank. A heartbeat later, he was back on his paws, leaping into the air and landing on her shoulders.

"_You have it so lucky, Crowpaw! Your parents love you, they cared for you and Eaglepaw, they did everything for you! Mine did nothing!_" She hissed, her wrath fuelled by her hatred of his seemingly easy life. Nightpaw reared up on her hind paws, shaking off Crowpaw; Eaglepaw and Stoatpaw, who had gathered to watch the fight, winced at the thud as the older apprentice hit the ground. Instantly, the she-cat jumped on top of him and the two cats wrestled together in a screeching tangle of fur, rolling closer to Firestar's den.

Nightpaw was fighting as if they were both warriors. Eaglepaw watched in amazement as Crowpaw bit down on Nightpaw's tail and then jerked it hard so that Nightpaw was unbalanced and fell on her side. Eaglepaw stiffened as he saw flecks of scarlet on Nightpaw's pelt. Crowpaw would get into trouble for fighting with claws unsheathed! Then he noticed his older twin was bleeding, too. Nightpaw's icy blue eyes were blazing with vehemence, as if she'd forgotten this wasn't training. "They're hurting each other!" He turned to Whitetail, whose eyes were glittering. "Can't you make them stop?"

Before Whitetail could do anything, Crowpaw pulled up short, flattened his ears and dove down again, his teeth fixed in Nightpaw's throat. "Give in?" His question was muffled because of his mouth being in her fur.

She gave an affirmative and Crowpaw stood up, licked his wounds and padded off to join the dawn patrol... who had been standing at the entrance of camp, stunned at the behaviour Nightpaw exhibited.

"**My den, now, Nightpaw!**" Firestar had seen everything and while he was proud of Crowpaw for defending himself like that, he was also surprised he had resorted to threatening Nightpaw. As the bleeding black she-cat entered his den, he turned to face her. "**What in StarClan were you doing?**" He asked, keeping his voice as even as he could.

Nightpaw spat, her eyes narrowing. "What did it look like, O Great One?"

"**I am this Clan's leader, having received my lives from StarClan. You will respect me, Nightpaw**," Firestar growled lowly.

"I answer to no one!" The apprentice hissed. "WindClan is worthless!" She made to leave, but found her way blocked by Tawnytail, one of the Clan's senior warriors. Nightpaw barged past her and went straight to her den. All she could think about was getting revenge as she lay down. It was Antfang and Robinwing's fault for not taking care of her and Crowpaw's for clawing her the way he did. Her Clanmates already found her prickly nature off-putting and now they would look at her with even more suspicion and whisper about how she lost her mind, just out of earshot.

That made Nightpaw furious. _It's Antfang, Robinwing and Crowpaw's fault..._ she repeated to herself, convincing her that getting revenge for belittling and mocking her was the right thing to do. _Revenge_, was the last thing she thought before she dreamed.

In her dream, no wind stirred the long grass at the edge of the path where Nightpaw stalked through the shadows. She paused, ears pricked, ice-blue eyes narrowed. No moon or stars shone in the sky above her head, but tree trunks thick with fungus shed an eerie glow on the bare earth beneath her paws.

The small she-cat opened her jaws to draw in air and, to her surprise; there was no scent of prey. Nightpaw did not know that the twitching of the ferns meant nothing and the flickering scraps of darkness that she could see from the corner of her eye would vanish like mist if she were to pounce on them. _What in StarClan is this place?_ She wondered.

"StarClan is not welcome here, just as we are not welcome over there." A voice spat, almost as if the owner had read Nightpaw's thoughts. "Welcome, Nightpaw, to the Dark Forest." Nightpaw whirled around, her claws unsheathed. She was facing a large tortoiseshell and white she-cat with matted fur and a fluffy white tail. The tortoiseshell seemed quite amused with the apprentice's silent, yet obvious outrage. "You'll see soon enough why I'm here," she purred silkily.

"What do you want?" Nightpaw demanded.

"Were you not wishing for revenge on your parents and that arrogant tom, Crowpaw?" the tortoiseshell questioned. "Do you not wish for your much needed revenge?"

"Wait," Nightpaw meowed sternly. "Who are you?"

"Mapleshade," the tortoiseshell answered. "I was once a warrior of ThunderClan, but I was exiled from both the Clan of my birth and RiverClan. I hurt others however I want to as I am now a senior warrior of the Place of No Stars." Mapleshade dipped her head, her amber eyes glinting in the darkness.

"You want to train me?"

Mapleshade lifted her head. "If that is what you want. Your parents and denmate have betrayed you, after all."

Nightpaw hesitated, but not for long. Mapleshade's words rang with truth and she _did_ want revenge. She was swayed, the temptation overwhelming her. Nightpaw curled her lip. "Train me."

...

**A/N: I tried making this solely Crowpaw's chapter, but it turned out to be a joint POV setting from both apprentices. Nightpaw's POV is going to become more regular from now on. Crowpaw will be playing an important role, as well as Leafpaw.**

**Sources used were pages 79 and 80 of Outcast for Crowpaw and Nightpaw's fight and the beginning of the prologue to Sunset for the description of the Dark Forest**.


	5. 1 Chapter 4: Badger

_**Chapter 4: Badger**_

The sun had not yet risen when Sorreltail set out with the dawn patrol. Even in the few days since her warrior ceremony, the leaves were beginning to change colour and an unusually early chill signifying leaf-fall lay on the forest, though it hadn't rained for a moon. The young warrior shivered as long grasses, heavy with dew, brushed against her fur. Cobwebs spread a grey film over the bushes and the air was filled with damp, leafy scents. The twittering of waking birds began to drown out the soft padding of the cats' paws.

Brightheart's brother, Lizardclaw, who was in the lead, paused to glance back at Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, Ashfur, Cinderpelt and Leafpaw. The medicine cats were only with the dawn patrol so they could gather herbs. "Oakstar wants us to check Snakerocks," he meowed. "Watch out for adders. There are more of them since the weather was so hot."

Sorreltail instinctively unsheathed her claws. The adders would be hidden in cracks now but, as soon as the sun came up, the warmth would tempt them out again. One bite from those poisoned jaws could kill a warrior before a medicine cat could do anything to help.

Before they had gone very far, Sorreltail began to hear faint sounds behind her, as if something were moving around in the undergrowth. She paused, looking back in the hope of an easy bit of prey. At first, she could see nothing; then she noticed the fronds of a thick clump of fern waving about, though there was no breeze. She sniffed the air, opening her jaws to drink it in, before letting out the breath with a sigh. "Come out, Squirrelpaw," she meowed.

There was a moment's silence. Then the bracken waved again and the stems parted as the dark ginger she-cat came into the open. Her green eyes glared defiance.

"What's going on?" Lizardclaw padded up to Sorreltail, with Ashfur and Brambleclaw just behind him.

Sorreltail indicated the apprentice with a flick of her tail. "I heard something behind us," she explained. "She must have followed us from the camp."

"Don't talk about me as if I wasn't here!" Squirrelpaw protested indignantly.

"You shouldn't be here!" Brambleclaw retorted; somehow, all Squirrelpaw had to do was open her mouth and he felt that his fur was being rubbed the wrong way.

"Stop bickering, the both of you," Lizardclaw growled. "You're not kits anymore. Squirrelpaw, why did you come here? Did some cat send you with a message?"

"She wouldn't have been skulking in the ferns if they had," Brambleclaw couldn't resist pointing out.

"No, they didn't," Squirrelpaw meowed with a resentful glare at Brambleclaw. Her paws scuffled in the grass. "I wanted to come with you, that's all. I haven't been on a patrol for _ages_."

"You weren't told to come on this one. _Brambleclaw, teach her some manners_," Lizardclaw replied, muttering to Brambleclaw under his breath. "Does Ravencloud know you're here?"

"No," Squirrelpaw admitted. "He promised last night he would take Skypaw and I for some training."

"Not anymore," Ashfur mewed. "Not since he learned his mate, Maplewhisker, is expecting. He's still the deputy, Squirrelpaw; you're going to be in trouble when Ravencloud goes looking for you."

"You'd better go back to camp right now," Lizardclaw decided.

Anger flared in Squirrelpaw's eyes and she took a step forward that brought her nose-to-nose with Lizardclaw. "You're not my mentor, Brambleclaw is, so don't order me around!"

Lizardclaw's nostrils flared minutely as he let out a patient sigh and Sorreltail realized Brambleclaw envied his self-control. If Squirrelpaw had spoken to her mentor like that, Sorreltail was sure Brambleclaw would have been tempted to rake his claws over her ear.

Even Squirrelpaw seemed to realize she had gone too far. "I'm sorry, Lizardclaw," she meowed. "But it's true; I _haven't_ been on a patrol for days. _Please_ can I come?"

Lizardclaw exchanged a glance with the rest of the patrol members. "Alright," he mewed. "But don't blame me if Ravencloud turns you into crowfood when we get back."

Squirrelpaw gave a little bounce of excitement. "Thank you, Lizardclaw! Where are we going? Are we looking for anything special? Is there going to be trouble?"

Lizardclaw swished his tail across her mouth to silence her. "Snakerocks," he replied. "It's up to us to make sure there won't be trouble."

"Watch out for adders," Brambleclaw added, grumbling.

"I know that!" Squirrelpaw hissed back at him.

"We're doing it _quietly_," Lizardclaw ordered her. "I don't want to hear another squeak out of you unless there's something I need to know."

Squirrelpaw opened her mouth to reply, but then took in what he had said and nodded vigorously.

The patrol set off again. Sorreltail had to admit that now Squirrelpaw had gotten her own way, she was behaving sensibly, slipping quietly along behind Lizardclaw and staying alert for every sound and movement in the undergrowth.

The sun was well risen by the time the patrol, minus Cinderpelt and Leafpaw who had returned to camp, emerged from the trees and saw the smooth, rounded shapes of Snakerocks in front of them. A dark hole gaped at the foot of one of them; it was the cave where the dog pack had hidden. Sorreltail shuddered, remembering the tale Brambleclaw had told her of his father, Tigershadow, trying to lead the savage animals to the ThunderClan camp in deadly revenge against his former Clanmates.

Squirrelpaw noticed her expression. "Scared of adders?" she taunted her.

"Yes," Sorreltail replied. "And so should you be."

"Whatever." She shrugged. "They're probably more scared of us." Before Sorreltail could stop her, she bounded forward into the clearing, obviously meaning to poke her nose into the hole.

"Stop!" Lizardclaw's voice brought her skidding to a halt. "Hasn't Brambleclaw told you we don't go dashing into anything before we're sure of what we're going to find?" He looked to Brambleclaw for confirmation, not trusting the dark ginger apprentice.

Brambleclaw nodded at the same time Squirrelpaw answered. "Of course he has."

"Then act like you might have listened to him once or twice before doing anything that harebrained again!" Lizardclaw spat. He padded up beside the she-cat. "Sniff it," he ordered, still irate. "See if you can scent anything."

The young cat stood with her head raised, drawing the morning air into her mouth. "Mouse," she meowed brightly after a moment. "Can we hunt, Lizardclaw?"

"Later," the warrior replied stiffly. "Concentrate."

Squirrelpaw tasted the air again. "The Thunderpath, just over there" — she waved her tail — "and a Twoleg with a dog. But that's stale," she added. "I'd guess they were here yesterday."

"Very good." Lizardclaw sounded impressed and Squirrelpaw curled her tail in delight.

"There's something else," she went on. "A horrible scent... I haven't smelled it before."

Sorreltail jerked up her head and sniffed. She quickly identified the scents Squirrelpaw had mentioned and the new, unfamiliar one. The young warrior stiffened and Brambleclaw whipped his head around to look at her. She knew that scent very well, since it had been on her mother when her body had been dragged back to the camp for burial. Brambleclaw was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she answered before he had a chance. "... Badger," she growled.

Lizardclaw nodded. "That's right. It looks as if it has moved into the cage where the dogs were."

Ashfur groaned. "Just our luck!"

"Why?" Squirrelpaw asked. "What are badgers like? Why are they a problem?"

"Are they ever?!" Sorreltail growled, deeper than before. "They're no good to any cat; they'd kill you as soon as look at you."

Squirrelpaw's eyes widened, seeming more impressed than frightened.

Ashfur cautiously approached the dark cave mouth, sniffed and peered inside. "It's as dark as a fox's heart in there," he reported, "but I don't think the badger's home."

While he was speaking, Sorreltail suddenly caught the scent again, much stronger this time, washing over her from somewhere behind them. She leaped around to see a pointed, striped face appear from behind the trunk of a nearby tree, its huge pads crushing the grass, its muzzle snuffling along the ground.

"Look out!" she yowled, every fur on her pelt bristling in fear. She had never been this close to a badger before. Whirling around, she dashed out into the clearing. "Squirrelpaw, _run!_"

As soon as Sorreltail gave the alarm, Ashfur and Brambleclaw dived into the undergrowth, while Lizardclaw bounded towards the safety of the trees. But Squirrelpaw stayed where she was, her gaze fixed on the huge creature.

"This way, Squirrelpaw!" Lizardclaw called, starting to come back.

The apprentice still hesitated; Sorreltail barrelled into her, thrusting her towards the trees. "You were told to run!"

Squirrelpaw's green eyes, blazing with fear and excitement, met Sorreltail's for a heartbeat. The badger was lumbering forward, its small eyes glittering as it scented cats intruding on its territory. Squirrelpaw pelted towards the edge of the clearing and launched herself up the nearest tree. Reaching a low branch, she dug in her claws and crouched there, her ginger fur fluffed out.

Sorreltail clawed her way up beside her. Down below, the badger was blundering back and forth, as if it could not tell where the cats had gone. Its black and white head swung threateningly from side to side. Sorreltail knew that it could not see very well; badgers usually only came out after dark and this one would be on its way back to the cave from a night's feeding on worms and grubs.

"Would it eat us?" Squirrelpaw meowed breathlessly.

"No," Sorreltail replied, trying to slow her pounding heart. "Even a fox kills to eat, but a badger will kill you for just getting in its way. We're not prey to them, but they don't tolerate any trespassers on their territory. Why did you hang around down there instead of running like you were told?"

"I've never seen a badger before and I wanted to. Dustpelt says we should get all the experience we can."

"Does that include having your fur ripped off?" Sorreltail asked dryly but, for once, Squirrelpaw didn't reply.

While she was speaking, Sorreltail hadn't taken her eyes off the creature below. She breathed a sigh of relief as it gave up the search and padded over to the cave mouth, where it squeezed itself inside and was gone.

Lizardclaw leaped down from the tree where he had taken refuge. "That was closer than I'd like," he mewed as Sorreltail and Squirrelpaw scrambled down to join him. "Where's Ashfur and Brambleclaw?"

"We're here," Ashfur and Brambleclaw's heads popped out of a tangle of briars. "Do you think that badger is the same one that killed Willowpelt last greenleaf?"

"Maybe," Lizardclaw replied. "Mousefur and Applefur drove it away from the camp, but we never found out where it went."

A pang of sadness rippled through Sorreltail as she remembered the pale grey she-cat who had been her and her littermates' mother. Willowpelt had not lived to see her kits become warriors.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Squirrelpaw asked eagerly. "Shall we go in there and kill it? There are five of us and only one badger. How hard could it be?"

Sorreltail winced, while Lizardclaw closed his eyes and waited a moment before speaking. "There are _four_ of us; you're not a warrior yet. You _never_ go into a badger's den. Or a fox's, for that matter. They'll attack you right away, there isn't enough room to manoeuvre and you can't see what you're doing."

"But-"

"_No_. We'll head back to camp and report it. Oakstar will decide what to do." Without waiting for Squirrelpaw to argue any more, Lizardclaw set off in the direction they had come. Sorreltail, Brambleclaw and Ashfur fell in behind him, but Squirrelpaw paused at the edge of the clearing.

"We could have dealt with it," she grumbled, glancing back longingly at the dark mouth of the cave. "I could have lured it out and then-"

"And then it would have killed you with one swipe of its paw and we'd _still_ have to go back and report it," Brambleclaw meowed discouragingly. "What do you think we would have said? "Sorry, Dustpelt, but we accidentally let a badger get your daughter" ? He would rip our fur off. Badgers are bad news and that's that."

"You wouldn't catch Oakstar leaving a badger in ThunderClan territory without doing something about it," Squirrelpaw swung her tail defiantly and plunged into the undergrowth to catch up with Lizardclaw, Ashfur and Sorreltail.

Brambleclaw raised his eyes and murmured: "Great StarClan!" before following.

...

When she emerged from the gorse tunnel into the clearing, the first cats she saw were Ravencloud and Dustpelt. The black and brown tabby warriors were pacing up and down outside the apprentices' den, their tails lashing from side to side. Spiderpaw and Whitepaw were crouched in the shade of the ferns, watching them apprehensively.

As soon as Ravencloud and Dustpelt saw Squirrelpaw, they marched across the clearing towards her.

"Uh-oh," Squirrelpaw muttered.

"Well?" the tabby warrior's voice was icy. Sorreltail winced, knowing how short-tempered he was; the only cat who had never felt the rough side of his tongue was Sandstorm. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Squirrelpaw met his glare bravely, but there was a quaver in her voice as she replied. "I went on patrol, Dustpelt."

"I _see_. Which cat ordered you to go? Ravencloud? Oakstar?"

The deputy spat: "I didn't order her."

At the same time, Squirrelpaw answered: "No cat. But I thought-"

"No, you didn't think." Ravencloud took over this time, overriding Dustpelt's fury with his own. "I told you I would take you and Skypaw training today. Mousefur and Brightheart took their apprentices to the training hollow to practice their fighting moves. We could have gone with them, but we didn't, because you weren't here. Do you realize I've had every cat searching for you?"

Squirrelpaw shook her head, scuffling the ground with her front paws.

"When no cat could find you, Oakstar took out a patrol to try following your scent. Did you see him?" Another shake of the head.

Sorreltail realized that following a scent in the heavy dew that morning would be impossible.

"Your Clan leader has better things to do than chase after apprentices who can't do as they're told," Ravencloud went on. "Lizardclaw, why did you let her go with you?"

"I'm sorry, Ravencloud," Lizardclaw apologized. "I thought she'd be safer with us than wandering around alone in the forest."

Ravencloud snorted. "That's true."

"We could still go and do the training," Squirrelpaw suggested.

"No. No more training for you until you learn what being an apprentice really means," Dustpelt cut in, pausing for several heartbeats to gain Ravencloud's approval. The deputy nodded. "You can spend the rest of the day looking after the elders. Make sure they have enough fresh-kill. Change their bedding. Go over their pelts for ticks." He blinked. "I'm sure Cinderpelt has some mouse bile for you."

Squirrelpaw's eyes flew wide in dismay. "Oh, yuck!"

"What are you waiting for?"

The young apprentice stared at him for a moment longer, as if she couldn't believe he really meant it. When there was no change in her father's hard expression, she whisked around and flounced across the clearing towards the elders' den.

"If Oakstar's looking for Squirrelpaw, we'll have to wait for him to get back before we give him the report on the badger," Lizardclaw observed.

"What badger?" Ravencloud and Dustpelt questioned simultaneously.

While Lizardclaw and Ashfur began to describe what they had seen at Snakerocks, Sorreltail bounded across the clearing and caught up with Squirrelpaw just outside the elders' den.

"What do you want?" the apprentice spat.

"Don't be angry," Sorreltail mewed softly. She couldn't help feeling sorry for Squirrelpaw, even though she had deserved some sort of punishment for leaving the camp without any cat knowing where she was going. "I'll help you with the elders', if you like."

Squirrelpaw opened her mouth as if she were about to make a rude retort and then clearly thought better of it. "Okay, thanks," she muttered ungraciously.

"You go and get the mouse bile and I'll start on the bedding."

Squirrelpaw's eyes opened in a winning expression. "You wouldn't rather get the mouse bile, would you?"

"Sorry, Squirrelpaw. Dustpelt told you to do that. I'm sure he'll check."

Squirrelpaw shrugged. "No harm in trying." With a flick of her tail, Squirrelpaw stalked off to find Cinderpelt.

Sorreltail headed for the elders' den, which was in a patch of grass sheltered by a fallen tree. The tree was a burned-out shell; Sorreltail could still scent the acrid tang from the fire that had swept through the camp more than four seasons ago. But the grass had grown up again around the tree trunk, thick and luxuriant, making a comfortable home for the elderly cats whose service to the Clan was done.

When she pushed her way through the grasses, she found the elders' sunning themselves in the small, flattened clearing. Dappletail, the oldest she-cat in ThunderClan, was curled up asleep, her patchy tortoiseshell pelt rising and falling with each breath.

Frostfur, a still beautiful white she-cat, was dabbling lazily at a beetle in the grass.

Speckletail and Fogtail were crouched together as if they were in the middle of a good gossip.

Spottedleaf had been the medicine cat before she stepped down due to a severe leg injury and Yellowfang had taken her place, training Cinderpelt while she was at it. Yellowfang had died in the fire, leaving Cinderpelt as the sole medicine cat for ThunderClan, until Leafpaw was born.

Sorreltail felt the familiar jolt of sympathy when she looked at Fogtail; the pale tabby tom was still a young warrior, but his eyesight had been destroyed by a rabbit's dirty claws.

"Hi there, Sorreltail." Fogtail's head swung around as Sorreltail entered the clearing, his jaws parted to take in her scent. "What can we do for you?"

"I've come to help Squirrelpaw," Sorreltail explained. "Dustpelt sent her to look after you today."

Speckletail broke into rasping laughter. "I heard she went missing. The whole camp was in an uproar. But I knew she'd just gone off by herself."

"She tagged onto the dawn patrol," Sorreltail meowed.

Before she could say anymore, there was the sound of another cat pushing through the grasses and Squirrelpaw appeared. She had a twig clamped in her jaws; hanging from it was a ball of moss soaked in mouse bile. Sorreltail wrinkled her nose at the bitter scent.

"Who's got ticks?" Squirrelpaw mumbled around the twig.

"You're supposed to look for them yourself," Sorreltail pointed out.

Squirrelpaw shot her a glare.

"You can start with me," Frostfur offered. "I've got one on my shoulder, where I can't get at it."

Squirrelpaw padded over to the she-cat, parting her white fur with a forepaw and grunting when she discovered the tick. She dabbed at it with the damp moss until it dropped off; ticks obviously found mouse bile as disgusting as cats did, Sorreltail thought.

Sorreltail began to collect the elders' used bedding, rolling the moss together until she had gathered it up in a ball. When she took it out into the clearing, she spotted Oakstar emerging from the gorse tunnel, with Dustpelt and Sandstorm behind him. Lizardclaw was hurrying across to meet them from the other side.

"Thank StarClan Squirrelpaw's safe," Oakstar was mewing as Sorreltail came into earshot. "One of these days, she'll get into real trouble."

"She's in real trouble now," Sandstorm growled. "Just wait until I get my paws on her!"

"Dustpelt and Ravencloud already did." Lizardclaw gave a _mrrow_ of amusement. "Dustpelt sent her to help the elders' for the rest of the day."

Oakstar nodded. "Good."

"There's something else," Lizardclaw went on. "We found a badger up at Snakerocks, living in the cave where the dogs used to be."

Sorreltail set down the ball of moss. "We think it might be the one that killed Willowpelt. We've not seen any trace of a badger elsewhere in the forest."

"I don't want to lose more cats," Oakstar murmured, pausing for a heartbeat and then adding: "We'll keep a watch on it for a while. Pass the word around not to hunt at Snakerocks for the time being. With any luck, it will move on before leaf-bare, when prey gets scarce."

...

**A/N: Squirrelpaw is so annoying, isn't she? Not only did she piss off her father, but her brother's mentor, Ravencloud, too! Serves ya right, Squirrelpaw! Seeya all next chapter! Source used was chapter 2 of Midnight**.

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader**: Oakstar — grey-brown tom

**Deputy**: Ravencloud — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail (Apprentice: Skypaw)

**Medicine Cat**: Cinderpelt — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Leafpaw)

**Warriors**:

Mousefur — small dusky brown she-cat (Apprentice: Spiderpaw)

Dustpelt — dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm — pale ginger she-cat

Applefur — golden brown tabby tom

Lizardclaw — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Whitepaw)

Brightheart — white she-cat with ginger patches (Apprentice: Shrewpaw)

Brambleclaw — dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Squirrelpaw)

Snakepelt — light brown tabby tom

Pinefoot — blue-grey tom

Russetfang — reddish-brown she-cat

Stonefur — blue-grey tom with battle-scarred ears

Cranefoot — blue-grey she-cat

Waspfur — ginger tabby tom with black markings

Ashfur — pale grey tom with darker flecks

Sootfur — light grey tom

Sorreltail — tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Rainwhisker — dark grey tom

**Apprentices**:

Skypaw — pale grey tom with white patches

Leafpaw — light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws, medicine cat apprentice to Cinderpelt

Squirrelpaw — dark ginger she-cat

Spiderpaw — long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly

Whitepaw — white she-cat

Shrewpaw — small dark brown tom

**Queens**:

Ferncloud — pale grey queen with darker flecks, mother of Pinefoot's kits [Birchkit — light brown tabby tom, Hollykit — dark ginger she-kit and Larchkit — golden brown she-kit]

Maplewhisker — ginger queen, expecting Ravencloud's kits

**Elders**:

Longtail — pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Frostfur — beautiful white she-cat

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat, former medicine cat

Dappletail — once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat

Speckletail — pale tabby she-cat


	6. 1 Chapter 5: Preparation

_**Chapter 5: Preparation**_

_Leafpaw's POV_

"Squirrelpaw is upset," Leafpaw remarked, watching her sister leave the medicine cats' clearing with the twig of mouse bile clenched in her jaws.

"She deserves to be." Cinderpelt glanced up from counting juniper berries. She spoke firmly, but not unsympathetically. "If apprentices think they can go off by themselves, without telling any cat, where would we be then?"

"I know." While Leafpaw prepared the mouse bile, she had listened to her sister's raging about how unfair the punishment was. Squirrelpaw's anger churned deep within Leafpaw's belly, as if the air in the camp were water and her sister was sending ripples of cold frustration into the medicine cats' den. Ever since they had been tiny kits, they always knew what the other was feeling. Leafpaw remembered how her fur had tingled with excitement when Squirrelpaw was made apprentice and how her sister had been unable to sleep on the night when Leafpaw was apprenticed as a medicine cat at the Moonstone. Once she had felt an excruciating pain in her paw and limped around the camp from sunhigh to sunset, until Squirrelpaw returned from a hunting patrol with a thorn driven deep into her pad.

Leafpaw shook her head as if she had a burr clinging to her pelt, trying to push away her sister's emotions and concentrate on her task of sorting yarrow leaves.

"Squirrelpaw will be fine," Cinderpelt reassured her. "It'll all be forgotten tomorrow. Did you get any of that mouse bile on your fur? If you did, you'd better go and wash it off."

"I'm fine, Cinderpelt." Leafpaw knew her voice was filled with the strain she was feeling, however hard she tried to hide it.

"Cheer up." Cinderpelt limped out of her den to join her apprentice, pressing her muzzle comfortingly against Leafpaw's side. "Do you want to come to the Gathering tonight?"

"May I?" Leafpaw spun around to face her mentor. She then hesitated. "Squirrelpaw won't be coming, will she?"

"After today? Certainly not!" Cinderpelt's blue eyes glimmered with understanding. "Leafpaw, the three of you aren't kits anymore. You chose a very different path from your littermates, in being a medicine cat. You will always be friends with your younger brother and sister, but you can't do everything together and the sooner Squirrelpaw accepts that, the better."

Leafpaw nodded and bent over the yarrow leaves again. She struggled to calm her feelings of excitement over the Gathering, so that Squirrelpaw wouldn't feel even more upset over being left behind. Cinderpelt was right, but all the same she could not help wishing that Squirrelpaw had been able to attend the Gathering with her and Skypaw. After she had finished her task, she went to the fresh-kill pile and selected the juiciest bird. Leafpaw ate in silence, before padding to her nest in order to get some sleep before the Gathering.

...

"I wondered when you would come."

Leafpaw's eyes blinked open and she sprang to her paws. She was standing chest-deep in lush green grass in a sunlit forest. The air was laden with the scent of prey and damp ferns. _Where-?_ she began wondering, before she registered the voice and stared at the cat who was sitting in front of her.

The black tom smiled at her, his blue eyes shining with starlight and laughter.

Leafpaw sniffed the air and recognized ThunderClan scent about the stranger, but she still wasn't sure who he was. She questioned cautiously: "Who are you?"

"Cloudspots is what they call me. I am only here to talk, so you may be settled," he meowed calmly.

Leafpaw was stunned beyond belief. _The_ Cloudspots. ThunderClan's very first medicine cat! Leafpaw rushed to dip her head in absolute respect; a gesture she had never shown anyone else. "What is it that you ask of me?" she meowed meekly, straightening and staring into his bright eyes.

Cloudspots' tail twitched in gratification and he purred appreciatively. "I will discuss your conduct later. Right now, I want you to prepare the Chosen for the new moon meeting," he mewed, his tone changing to reflect the seriousness of the matter.

"Prepare them?" Leafpaw echoed, even more shocked. "But... they're in different Clans, aren't they?"

"Yes and yes. Falconsong, Dapplepelt, Mothflight and Pebbleheart have spoken to their Chosen and they will be waiting for you on their Clans' borders tomorrow morning. You need to convince them to speak with their leaders, too," Cloudspots meowed.

Leafpaw spluttered wordlessly, looking very lost. She didn't know if the other Chosen would do what she advised them or not.

Cloudspots' tail lashed in irritation. "Do not doubt yourself, young Leafberry. You will go far in your life," he growled.

Leafpaw stared at him, blinking her eyes in confusion. _Leafberry? Where did that come from?_ "Who are the other Chosen, anyway?" She asked, becoming more bewildered by the second.

"_Mothflight_," the ancient medicine cat mouthed, as if he had read her mind, his eyes shining in forbidden glee. "Their names are Batwing and Nightpaw of SkyClan; Tawnypelt and Smokepaw of ShadowClan; Stormfur and Feathertail of RiverClan; and Mothtail and Crowpaw of WindClan."

Leafpaw cringed, as she realized what she was going to say next was disrespectful. "Why can't you tell Heatherleaf, Frecklewish, Cloudflower and Littlecloud to convince their leaders?"

Cloudspots' ears flattened and he growled, appearing annoyed by her words as opposed to her manners. "We will not. Sedgeface, Echosong, Mudfur and Pigeonpelt were good mentors, but Sedgeface and Mudfur are planning retirement and the other two are already in the elders' den. While we would like to _hint_ to the younger ones, we dare not, for what if there was a misunderstanding? No, it must come from you to convince the Chosen of the other Clans' to speak with their leaders."

Leafpaw wanted to raise her eyebrows, but she didn't. She honestly had no idea on what to think; she was meant to convince enemy Clans' Chosen to tell their leaders that something was going to happen to the forest, yet a misinterpretation would occur if the medicine cats told them?

Cloudspots mewed desperately, his cry soft and his blue eyes pleading with Leafpaw to agree, much to her shock. "The five Clans will be destroyed if you don't do this. Please, Leafpaw."

Leafpaw thought about it, not meeting Cloudspots' eyes. Whatever this threat was, if it was anywhere near the strength BloodClan had, she had no choice in the matter; if she refused, there would be no more Clans. Her mind made up, she let out a heavy sigh, before meowing: "What should I tell them?"

Cloudspots dipped his head in gratefulness. "Thank you, Leafpaw," he answered. "They shall be at the Gathering tonight with their Clans. It might be difficult, but you need to bring them to one side and tell them this exact wording: _Twolegs will destroy the forest with their monsters. Meet the other Chosen on the new moon and all will be revealed_. Did you get that?"

Leafpaw nodded and memorized it mentally. Cloudspots smiled at her and swept his tail over her side. "You need not worry, Leafpaw; they will believe you," he mewed encouragingly as the dream started fading.

...

_Nightpaw's POV_

The fur on Nightpaw's neck and shoulders rose as a new scent drifted towards her: the scent of cat, an unfamiliar addition to the rough she-cat who trained her in this place. This was a different cat; he was a ragged, pale grey tabby tom and he remained hidden in the long grasses of the Dark Forest, watching her be trained.

"Watch carefully!" Mapleshade hissed, lunging for Nightpaw, hooking her hind legs under her and rolling the black apprentice over with her forepaw until she found herself splayed on her back.

Nightpaw spat, springing to her paws. "Let me try it."

She leaped at Mapleshade, curling a paw around her hind legs and tugging. Nothing happened. The broad-shouldered warrior turned her head to look back at her. "Why haven't you started?"

Frustrated, Nightpaw backed away and tried again. The Dark Forest warrior still didn't budge. Nightpaw put her head to one side. "How exactly did you do that?"

"Run your paw along my hind legs," Mapleshade ordered. "You'll be able to feel the tendon along the back of the joint." Nightpaw felt a tough cord behind the crook of her legs, like a stretched mousetail. "Aim there," the tortoiseshell and white she-cat told her. "A sharp jab; hit both legs at once."

Excited, Nightpaw crouched down, fixing her gaze and then leaped for Mapleshade's back legs in an attempt to bring her down. She brought her forepaws down hard, hitting the tendons and Mapleshade's legs buckled beneath her. Seizing the advantage, Nightpaw used her shoulders to shove her sideways. Unbalanced, she toppled over and Nightpaw threw herself on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"Good," she grunted. Mapleshade got to her paws, shaking Nightpaw off. "But make more of your advantage. The surprise will only last a moment. You must use that moment. Try again." Nightpaw performed the move again, but this time swept Mapleshade's forepaws from under her too. The apprentice's teeth were at her exposed throat before the larger cat could recover herself. She shoved her away with a hiss. "Not bad." Pride rippled through Nightpaw's pelt. "We might make something of you after all," Mapleshade conceded.

Nightpaw lifted her head high. "Of course! This is better than the ordinary training I get from Tornear!"

Mapleshade didn't answer that; instead, cuffing her softly over the ear. "Alright, try that move again. See if you can do it twice."

"Okay!" Nightpaw crouched down once more. "I want to get it perfect before I show Duskfoot."

Mapleshade blinked. "Who's Duskfoot?"

"A tom who likes me; only StarClan knows why," Nightpaw growled, wriggling her hindquarters, ready to pounce. She sprang up, hitting the tendons harder this time, feeling a surge of triumph as the broad-shouldered warrior crumpled and she rolled her to the ground. Sitting back on her haunches, she wiped a paw over her whiskers as she got her breath back.

Mapleshade stretched her hind legs. "No more games. Let's try something new."

...

Nightpaw woke up, just as Sloepelt was calling the cats Firestar had chosen earlier for the Gathering. Her shoulders were stiff. She wriggled them as she rose to her paws in order to join her Clanmates, wondering if she'd slept wrong. Then she remembered: Mapleshade had worked her hard, until her muscles ached. She stumbled mid-step, surprised, but collected herself quickly. Nightpaw really enjoyed training under Mapleshade.

...

**A/N: Cloudspots appears for the first time to have a heart-to-heart with Leafpaw and Nightpaw continues her nightly training with Mapleshade. Sources used were two sentences in Sunset's prologue and the Ivypaw/Hawkfrost scene on pages 191-194 of Fading Echoes. What happens next? Find out in the next chapter!**


	7. Apology

**I am so sorry to say this, everyone, but I cannot continue Rising Moon, due to there being too much on my schedule. Therefore, I am hereby putting it up for adoption. Please PM me for details**.


	8. 1 Chapter 6: Full Moon part 1

_**Chapter 6: Full Moon part 1**_

The full moon sat high in the sky as Firestar led the cats from WindClan towards Fourtrees. Padding along beside Sloepelt, Crowpaw shivered with anticipation. This was the place where all five Clans met under the watchful gaze of Silverpelt. At every full moon, the Clan leaders came here with their warriors under the sacred truce of StarClan to exchange news and make decisions that would affect the whole forest.

Firestar paused at the top of the slope and gazed down into the clearing. Crowpaw could only just see the tops of the four great oak trees that gave the clearing its name, but he could hear the sounds of many cats and the breeze brought to him the mingled scents of RiverClan, SkyClan, ThunderClan and ShadowClan.

The only other cats Crowpaw had met were the other apprentices from the other Clans, when he had attended a Gathering for the first time. He and Eaglepaw had been overwhelmed by all of the strangers and had stayed close to their mentors. But this time, Crowpaw felt more confident and he was looking forward to meeting other warriors.

Crouching in the undergrowth, he watched Firestar for the signal to move down into the clearing. Sedgeface and his apprentice, Heatherleaf, were standing just in front of him with Willowface and Tawnytail. Crowpaw could see from the tautness in the older tom's muscles that he was waiting for the Gathering to start, while Heatherleaf's whole body quivered with excitement at the prospect of some unknown news that was to be revealed. Further ahead, Ashfoot and Whitetail were exchanging a few words, while Eveningfur shifted impatiently from paw to paw. Briefly, Crowpaw felt a pang of sadness that his father, Deadfoot, had not been able to make it since he was too elderly now.

At last, Firestar raised his tail as the sign for his cats to move forward. Crowpaw sprang over the edge of the hollow and found himself racing down the slope just behind Sedgeface, weaving his way through the bushes until he came out into the clearing.

The shimmering moonlight revealed a mass of cats, some already seated around the Great Rock in the centre, others trotting along the clearing to greet cats they had not seen for a moon, or lying in the shelter of the bushes to gossip and share tongues. Sedgeface and Heatherleaf went over to talk to Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, whilst Eveningfur slipped into the throng right away. Sloepelt followed, while Crowpaw hesitated, still daunted by the number of warriors in front of him, the unfamiliar scents and the glowing of so many eyes that all seemed to be trained on him.

Then he caught sight of Mothtail with a group of cats who all had the scent of ThunderClan. Crowpaw recognized a ginger tabby warrior with black markings whom he and his littermate had met at the last Gathering and remembered his name: Waspfur, Firestar's own roguish littermate.

Crowpaw wondered if he would be welcome to go and talk to them when Waspfur caught his eye and beckoned to him with his tail. "Hi. It's Crowpaw, isn't it? Deadfoot's kit... and Eaglepaw's littermate," the older tom added hastily, seeing the apprentice's irritated glare.

"That's right," Crowpaw grumbled, miffed that any cat would miss out his littermate. "How are you?"

"We're well; the Clan is thriving," Waspfur replied. "Have you met Pinefoot and Russetfang?"

"My nephew and niece," an ageing Stonefur added proudly, padding up to the small congregation; though it was quite a lot of moons since the strong young cats had left the nursery.

Crowpaw touched noses with the young warriors, realizing he should have guessed Pinefoot and his littermate, Russetfang, were kin of Bluestar. The two young warriors had the same muscular bodies as their father Ravencloud. Not to mention, Russetfang had throwback genes to Oakstar, indicative by her pelt, and Pinefoot was truly Miststar's son. This, of course, was well before the bloody battle against BloodClan where forbidden relationships in the forest seemed to flourish unchecked.

Back then, Miststar was still ThunderClan, only changing her allegiances when both Stormstar and Leopardstar were killed in the war against BloodClan as RiverClan needed a leader desperately and Mistfoot was their only link to Oakheart, formerly RiverClan-born but exiled once his littermate learned of his siding with Bluefur and joining ThunderClan.

"We know Sedgeface well," Russetfang meowed. "He has an indomitable spirit. You must be proud to be WindClan-born."

Crowpaw nodded. "Very proud; there's so much Sloepelt knows, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever learn it all!"

Pinefoot let out a mrrow of laughter and Russetfang purred sympathetically. "I felt the same. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"You say the Clan's thriving, Waspfur," Crowpaw meowed quietly, "but you're looking worried. Is something wrong?" The young apprentice was no fool; he could see the glimmer of uneasiness in the ThunderClan warrior's eyes.

Waspfur hesitated for a few heartbeats, before shrugging. "It's probably nothing but... hmm, you'll hear about it soon enough when the Gathering starts."

As he spoke, he glanced towards the Great Rock. Crowpaw followed his gaze and saw that three cats were already waiting on the summit. Silhouetted against the shining circle of the full moon was Firestar, leader of WindClan, easily recognizable by his flaming ginger pelt. Beside him stood Miststar, the RiverClan leader, staring around at the cats below. Next to her was Oakstar, the leader of ThunderClan. As Crowpaw watched, he saw Leafstar leap up to join them.

"Where is ShadowClan's leader?" Oakstar called out, his voice wavering ever so slightly. "Blackstar, what are you waiting for?"


End file.
